Litnet

"You’re bone-thin. Come drink a glass of
wine with me to fatten up your bones."

"Bongani’s soul, his sister said,
was vandalised, the insults
(sell-out, coconut)
cut him to the core, he changed,
withdrew, spoke less and less
and killed himself."

"And so we stand: network of scars,
shadows of arteries and veins
pressing up beneath the surface ..."

"this year for Christmas
my household’s skinniness
won’t penetrate my skin"

"Apparently in DRC they say:
when people clap for you,
take flight –
for you are a fly;
claps can end your life."

"The fruit most likely
to wither on the vine
is the apple of your eye"

"Time to part with what I’ve gleaned,
pick your favourite, he said,
I’ll print it, frame it, bring it round."

Read a poem by Heidi Henning.

"Everything is spiraling, feathery"

"He feels the warmth of the old man’s arm around his shoulders, and then the pat on his back. 'I know. The world can be a terrible place. We won’t be able to change that. But, you are prepared for it – as much as anyone can be. You will be okay if you use what you have to make it better.'"

"She knows in advance to prepare herself. She doesn’t know the face of the person she is going to speak to. Anyway, they’re anonymous. This suits her personality."

"I spit out
my mother tongue"

"I don’t desire our time
to be another document"

"don’t cry
honour the pride of my life
by joining in when they dance and sing"

"With you I stopped thinking
about Adam and Eve
and their fig leaves."

"Althea’s rapist moved back in with his wife of six years in early November."

"I can only think of this.
That you can’t take photographs of
your healing."

"The mysteries of my sorrows
are like a constellation beyond
the trees."

"He made careful movements
with his hands. Played a cloud study of water vapour gospel with his guitar."

"And I was left thinking that glasses
make a face look interesting.
Even handsome. Even intelligent."